NASA’s 2026 Human Exploration Rover Challenge

More than 600 students with 44 teams from around the world participated in the 32nd year of NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) on April 10 and April 11 near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Participating teams represented 28 colleges and universities, 13 high schools, and one middle school from 18 states, Puerto Rico, and four Artemis Accord countries. Teams were awarded points based on navigating a half-mile obstacle course with either a human-powered or remote-controlled rover, conducting mission-specific task challenges, and completing multiple safety and design reviews with NASA engineers.